Elevator safety device.



No. 742,621. PATENTED 001". 27,1903.

W. & J. FLOSS.

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE. APPLw'ATIo-N FILED AUG. '10, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 27, 1 903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM FLOSS AND JOHN F LOSS, OF MEADOW LANDS, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 742,621,

dated October 27, 1903.

Application filed August 10,1903. Serial No. 168,928. (No modelfl I To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, l/VILLIAM FLOSS and JOHN FLoss, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Meadow Lands, in the county of Vashington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator Safety Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in safety devices for elevators; and the primary object of the invention is to provide means whereby in event of the elevator rope or cable being broken the elevator-cage will be automatically locked and held in the elevator-well and prevented from dropping to the bottom thereof.

' Briefly described, the invention comprises a pair of pointed sprag-bars pivoted in a clevis or carrier supported at the top of the elevator-cage, and this clevis or carrier is under the tension of a spring which is normally held compressed whereby to hold the pointed end of the sprag-bars out of engagement with the slide-rails by the weight of the car on the suspending rope or cable. Upon this rope or cable breaking the spring immediately acts to force the sprag-bars into engagement with the slide-rails. Means is also provided whereby these sprag-bars may be manually forced into engagement with the slide-rails to check the movement of the car or cage at any desired time.

In describing the invention in detail, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views,in which Figure 1 is a central vertical sectionalview of the elevator-cage, showing a part of the slide-rails with ourimproved device in position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the slide-rails in cross-section. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a part of the cage, showing the clevis or carrier for the sprag-bars. Fig. i

is a sectional view of one of the slidesrails and elevator-cage, also showing a part of one of the sprag-bars.

To put our invention into practice, we provide a cage 1 with the cross-piece 2, cut away at its ends to form the runways to receive I the slide-rails 3, arranged at opposite sides of the elevator-well. These slide-rails are usually of metal, and in our construction we groove the inner face of the same'and place therein a strip of wood 4:, the outer face of which is flush with the outer face of the rail 3. In the cross-bar 2, at the top of the elevator-cage, is a recess 5, and in this recess is arranged a stiif coil-sprin g 6,which is mounted on the rod or stem 7. This rod or ste1n7 has a suspending cord or cable 8 of the elevator car or cage attached thereto, and at its lower end the rod or stem is affixed to the carrier or clevis 9, in which is pivotally mounted the sprag-bars 10. These barshave pointed ends 11, which project through openings 12, provided therefor in the side walls 14 of the cage and are adapted to engage, when operated, with the wooden strip 4, placed in the rails 3. The sprag-bars are held normally out of engagement with the rails by the weight of the car or cage on the suspending rope or cable 8, this weight compressing spring 6 and pulling upward the carrier or clevis 9. The sprag-bars are supported intermediate their ends by cables 15, attached to eyes 16 on the sprag-bars and passed over rollers 17, carried by the cross bar or head 2, these cables being passed around the pulleys 18, mounted on top of the elevator-cage, and then connected together, and a second rope or cable 19 passes over the pulley 20. This rope or cable then passes downwardly through the opening 21 and attached to the lever 22, pivoted to the side of the cage 1 at a point convenient to be grasped by the operator.

In case of the rope or cable 8 breaking it will be observed that spring 6 exerts its tension against the carrier or clevis 9, forcing the ends of the sprag -bars into engagement with the wooden strip 4, this strip being prevented from splitting by reason of being set in the metal rails 3. If for any cause the spring 6 should fail to actuate the sprag-bars 10 or if the operator should desire at any time to lock the car,the lever 22 is pulled downwardly, thus causing the rope 19 and ropes or cables 15 to pull upwardly on the outer ends of the sprag-bars and draw the same into engagement with the slide-rails.

It will be noted that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of our incables centrally supporting the bars, rotatable means carried at opposite sides of the suspending-rope to receive said cables, oppositely-disposed guide-pulleys carried bythe cage top receiving said cables between the same, a rotatable means carried adjacent the same, a cable passing oversaid means secured to the ends of the first-na1ned cables and extending into the car, and a lever within the ear for operating manually said sprag-bars, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses. WILLIAM FLOSS. JOHN FLOSS. Witnesses:

A. M. WILsoN, E. E. POTTER. 

